...The Odyssey is an epic poem written by Homer telling the story of the King of Ithaca. Odysseus displays the traits of a true hero; strength, nobility, confidence, courage, and the love of glory. He gains fame through his journeys, victories and skill. As with all Homer created heroes, Odysseus possesses pride which causes him to do very unwise things. The Iliad is another epic poem written by Homer entertaining us with a story about Achilles. Achilles was the greatest warrior in the Achaean army. The most significant flaw of Achilles is his excessive pride. He is willing to subvert the good of the whole army and to endanger the lives of those who are closest to him to achieve emotional blackmail. The plot of the Odyssey is Odysseus’ 10 year struggle to return home after the Trojan War. While Odysseus battles mythical creatures and faces the wrath of the gods, his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus fight off suitors or fakers trying to steal Penelope's hand from Odysseus and Ithaca's throne long enough for Odysseus to return. The Odyssey ends with Odysseus winning a contest to prove his identity, killing the suitors, and retaking the throne of Ithaca for himself. The plot of the Iliad is about the final year of the Trojan War, a conflict in which Greek warriors sailed the Aegean (Turkey) and surrounded the fortress of Troy for ten years, three millennia ago. The plot also includes the greek hero...
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...In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus displays his renowned cleverness in his journey to get home, but he also shows he is very prideful. While trying to get home, Odysseus and his crew land on the island of the Cyclops, a race of one-eyed, man-eating giants. They end up stuck in the Cyclops Polyphemus’s cave, and Odysseus uses his ingenuity to get (most) of his men out. Polyphemus is so massive, that the rock he seals the entrance with, lifted easily by him, is impossible for Odysseus and his crew to budge. The men are helpless as they watch, each night, the Cyclops devour two more of their number for supper. Shrewdly, Odysseus gives Polyphemus wine, ostensibly as a gift to gain favor, until he is drunk, and then he tells the Cyclops his name is Nobody....
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...Odysseus from Homer's The Odyssey is not a good role model. At times, Odysseus' curiosity can lead to some extreme situations and endanger the lives of his crew. Odysseus can also be very prideful of his clever work or achievements, causing unnecessary trouble later on. Furthermore, although Odysseus says that he misses his kingdom, wife, and son, and wishes to return to them dearly, he doesn't stay faithful to his wife. Book IX of The Odyssey provides an example of Odysseus' bad curiosity as it trapped him and his crew in the cyclops' cave. When Odysseus and his crew reach the island of the cyclops, they discover the cyclops, Polyphemus' cave. Odysseus, curious to see what the beast looks like, waits with his crew in the cave. When...
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...In The Odyssey, Homer tells a tale about the main character Odysseus as goes through many trials and tribulations on his journey home. Homer’s tales shows many important things about the Greeks and their views about life. One of things he shows through his story are the qualities of leadership. The Odyssey shows many important qualities of leadership, three of the most important qualities of leadership are determination, courage and intelligence. The Odyssey shows that one of the most important qualities of leadership is the ability to be determine and not let the bumps in the road stop you from reaching your goal. In book 5, although Odysseus has been stuck on a beautiful island with a beautiful women he still longs to go home. “Yet it is true, each day I long for home, long for the sight of home,” replied Odysseus to Calypso. Calypso tried her best to try and convince Odysseus to neglect his goal, but Odysseus stayed strong and kept his goal in sight. This is an important quality for a leader to have, because a leader must be able to keep his men strong and help them remember why they are still working. A leader has to be able to stand firm even if his men begin to give up hope. The Odyssey show what a determined leader looks like through the character of Odysseus....
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...In Homer’s The Odyssey, the author tells us of a magnificent story of lust, deceit, greed, and heroism. The Odyssey is a display of a journey of determination, willpower, patience, and virtue. The author tells the tale of Odysseus, on his voyage home to Ithaka. This is happening after the end of the Trojan War. Odysseus, the main character, goes through a series of many unforeseen trials and tribulations in this exemplary journey. This exemplifies his character and displays him as a hero in the eyes of the audience. During these different happenings, Odysseus makes decisions that do not correspond to his character. Odysseus is displayed as not only a hero but also as a good leader to his men. Throughout all their trials such as the Sirens, Polyphemus (the cyclops), and the enchantress Circe, Odysseus is displayed as clever, patient, cunning, and fearless. Odysseus made decisions not only for himself but also for his men as well. For example, he did not leave his men on the island of the Lotus Eaters when they clearly had no desire to go back to Ithaca; he knotted them onto the boat and left the island. He was determined to get home with as many of his men as he possibly could, though they repeatedly disobeyed him. Odysseus is one of history's greatest leaders and this is a vital part of what makes him such an epic hero Another characteristic that stand out and makes Odysseus a hero is his ability to overcome his obstacles in order to reach his goal. Odysseus is faced by many...
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...Odysseus, Where Art Thou CS HUM/102 January 21, 2014 Professor Michael Downs There is an interesting event that takes place in works of art that we enjoy, and that is how something that we enjoy today can be based on something else from many years ago. Take the epic poem “The Odyssey” and the film “O Brother Where Art Thou”; the plot of this film is based loosely on the plight of Odysseus in “The Odyssey” Let us begin with the main characters of these two works. The Odyssey has Odysseus and O Brother Where Art Thou has Ulysses. Both appear to be natural born leaders with an outstanding wit and the capability to talk themselves in and out of trouble. Both Odysseus and Ulysses have great pride and confidence which seems to be a constant catalyst for their troubles. These two men obtain the faith of their men easily and both seem to drag their companions down into the dirt with themselves. Ulysses and Odysseus both seem to care a great deal about their men and both attempt to spare their men as much grief as either of them can given the circumstances they put themselves into. The stories of Ulysses and Odysseus are about the troubles and adventures that they face trying to make it back to the women that they love. There is another similarity between these two stories. The main woman of Odysseus’ heart is his wife Penelope, while Penny is the holder of Ulysses’ heart. Both of these women also never seem to lose their love for their husbands while these...
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...Throughout the epic poem, The Odyssey, the main character, Odysseus, struggles with maintaining his pride. This fatal flaw impacted his life by making his journey back to Ithaca take even longer. Many people, including myself, have fatal flaws as well. Odysseus's pride impacted his life, and my fatal flaw influences my life as well. Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus has the tendency to let his pride cost him both men and time away from his family. There are many instances in the epic poem that Odysseus lets his pride come before safety, his men, and the trip back to Ithaca. For example, on the land of the Cyclopes, he and his crew entered Polyphemus's cave only to find it empty. Instead of taking the food back to the boat and leaving, Odysseus...
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...mature like cut diamonds, emotions construct not only minds but also the hearts and souls of everyone. To be able to express anything close to explicit human emotion, especially when it comes to converting such into words, is an otherworldly art only prodigies can master. And when it comes to prodigies, history raises the classic words of The Odyssey by Homer, The Epic of Gilgamesh, and Antigone by Sophocles and puts them on a pedestal of perfect implementation. Throughout the course of these stories, there is one uncut emotion that makes today’s world go round: love. Often times in life people search for the perfect partner -- a true love and a happily ever after. In The Odyssey, Odysseus and Penelope could be considered a power couple even in modern-day society. Although Odysseus is gone for twenty years, he never forgets his faithful wife in Ithaca. This love seems to help him persevere through the many hardships that he encounters on his journey home. On the other hand, Penelope, of course, maintains balance in the scale of affection by unraveling his shroud and delaying her marriage to the suitors...
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...Through books IX and XII of The Odyssey, Homer has highlighted one of Odysseus’ most eminent tragic flaws: hubris, better known as having a copious amount of pride. One such instance where Odysseus’ self-confidence shone was in book IX, where Odysseus defeated the Kyklops, Polyphemus, and escaped from his cave. As he sails off the island, Odysseus continues to taunt the beast from his ship, and the shipmates- in exasperation- beg Odysseus to stop. However, Odysseus “would not heed them in [his] glorying spirit/ [he] let his anger flare and yelled/ ‘Kyklops,/ if ever a mortal man inquire/ how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him/ Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye’” (Homer 9. 540-550). Throughout this passage, Homer uses many powerful words and phrases that exhibit Odysseus’ pride....
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...concept of a hero has been interpreted in many ways throughout the ages an Odysseus is one literary hero that stands the test of time. There are many heroic traits that makes Odysseus in The Odyssey a hero even in today's world. The first trait that makes him a hero is Odysseus is hubristic which is one of his flaws. The next trait is he is stro In the Odyssey Odysseus portrays many traits that make him a hero such as his flaws. In multiple books he shows how hubristic or pride he is especially in book nine at the cyclops island. When Odysseus and his crew first arrived on the island Odysseus picks out a dozen of his best fighters to scope out the island. They find one of the cyclops caves and de themselves at home and “built a fire, set...
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...Wouldn’t it be cool to learn about a character who is hubris and caring at the same time? Yes it would be cool so lets talk about it, but first let me explain the purpose of the essay, the purpose of the essay is to try to get people interested in The Odyssey, and to teach about the greek mythology legends. The book is called The odyssey by Homer and the book is called Oh Brother Where Art Thou by the director named Joel and Ethan Coen which is also the writers of the movie as well. Odysseus is very caring and loving especially on Calypso’s island when Penelope and Odysseus were hugging. Another reason on how Odysseus is showing that he is caring and loving is when him and Penelope are also crying while they are hugging. In the movie...
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...Without will power, temptation and curiosity can cause many to stray from the goal of their journey. In “The Odyssey” by Homer and “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood, the poets characterize the Sirens as manipulative and powerful through the SIrens flattering diction and captivating voices. The sirens use their alluring words to captivate the sailors into their trap with tempting offers. These creatures are manipulative and do everything in their power to lure these men to their doom. They trick and sing their song to the point where the men are unwillingly pulled to the island by the irresistible song. “The song is a cry for help: Help me!”(21-22) In the poem the sirens know that no man can resist a damsel in distress, a situation like...
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...Moat men who have been away from family – want to return to them. When a person travels long distances they happen to come upon obstacles. Pride is the most important thing that keeps men going. In the book “The Odyssey” and the film “O Brother Where Art Thou?”, we can compare three basic subjects: characters, events, and the journey. Even though the characters in the book and film have some things in common; they are very different. In “The Odyssey” by Homer, Odysseus lied to his men for the sake of keeping them safe. While in “O Brother Where Art Thou?” Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, Everett lied to Pete and Delmar so he could stop his wife from remarrying. Hence forth, Odysseus gives more of an honorable standing in the sense of loyalty to friends and family equally. While Everett seems more focused on his family. As the plots of the compared unfold, there are events that are alike. Odysseus dressed as an elderly beggar man to fool the suitors – so he could see his wife. Everett on the other hand, dresses as an elderly hobo – who is a part of a singing group to fool Homer and the suitor; so he could see his wife. Both of the men used elderly disguises to fool people in...
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...changed slightly, but in a lot of cases they still remain the same. In the Odyssey one can see there are unquestionably different expectations for men versus women during this time period. To this day, there is little information on Homer himself. Even though there is not much information about the author himself, it is known that “The epic poem Odyssey focuses on the Greek character Odysseus and his ten year journey from Troy to Ithaca after the fall of Troy (Trojan war).”("Odyssey by Ancient Greek Poet Homer.") This story takes place directly after the Trojan War. The society is still recovering from the war and tragedy. Although gender expectations are true in the early years that the Odyssey...
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...book 19 from The Odyssey was certainly a new experience for myself with abundant new experiences in both the planning and acting stages of the project. My colleagues and I endured numerous trials and tribulations while trying to put together a respectable product that we could have pride in. One such tribulation was the fact that we were not able to use a script during the presentation, a new experience for most of us. Additionally, I enhanced the difficulty for myself by way of not opting write down potential revealing ideas on a notecard that would help me while presenting the skit. The fact that I do not particularly enjoy oral presentations only enhanced this tribulation. However, with additional practice and memorization outside of class, I was able to gain confidence in myself and the...
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